Arrogance says, “I deserve a better (partner, job, life).”
Humility says, “The (partner, job, life) I have is a gift.”
While many people mix these up, there is no mistaking that arrogance is synonymous with insecurity and fear. And, true humility is synonymous with confidence and gratitude. For those of you who know me, I am not on the arrogant side … not even at work. It’s not my style. But, the question for me was, do I have humility?
As we were talking yesterday about a number of topics, humility and arrogance came up. And, in this discussion, one thing struck me — Do I have enough self-confidence to have humility? I hadn’t thought of that before. I know I can see the positive out there and can celebrate it. But, can I celebrate me? Am I confident in me – such that I really have humility? The answer, I have to admit, is no.
And, here’s where the therapy $$s pays off: I also realized that the most confident thing a person can do is be humble. I know this sounds like an oxymoron because the confident people make decisions and know the answers … so where is the humility in that?
But, a confident man or woman has the humility to admit he/she is wrong. Admitting to being wrong means being willing to make change and that takes confidence. Plus, it takes enormous confidence and humility to listen to someone call us out on our s*** and not over-react.
Humility is really counter-intuitive in that it’s a fantastic tool for self-development and allows us to be really honest with ourselves. Humility is the necessary ego-balancer of life. It means we are helping others, recognizing (and dealing with) our flaws and being grateful and appreciating what we have. Friends, those who truly have humility are more content with life, have better relationships and are more open-minded, such that they seek new understandings about themselves and the universe. I want to have more humility and be with someone who has the same goal!
My lesson yesterday: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
Have a great Saturday!
theyearof50 